Hello popsicle sticks! I read my own work to an audience of complete strangers for the first time in my life, my new bizarro book 4 Rooms In A Semi Detached House, for the 2017 Brighton Fringe Festival. My hands were shaking, I was terrified.
Brighton has a lot of cool stuff in it so I made a little backstage video as well as filming the first reading (which has an impromptu Q&A at the end), and I also offer advice to any live reading newbies such as myself. My boyfriend Bill, who does my book covers, and our friend Steve had art showing in a gallery at the same time and I added clips of them discussing their work below.
Ta dah!
Fun times around Brighton, including books, rainbows and lots of tea:
The first reading, 11 am, at Made Cafe:
Bill discussing his work at The Round Georges:
Stephen Waring (LoFiGuy) discussing his work:
Madeleine Swann 
You have a lovely speaking voice and read your work very well. Bill is a very diverse artist and I like Stephen’s idea of channeling Bacon’s style into landscapes. The bar you showed us looks like the sort of place my wife would like. I’ll be sure never to take her there. 😉 Congratulations on your event.
Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed it, and that you think I have a lovely speaking voice. Yes I liked the bar, I think the tea shop is more to my liking these days though
Very cool, and congratulations on your first public readings! I don’t know how I’d handle the same situation, I never liked being in front of an audience that much, but still have an urge to conquer it. Good on you (I myself may have have just run off, haha). May there be many more to come!
Thank you! It was hard and my hands were genuinely shaking, but I’m really glad I did it. I believe you can too!
It does sound terrifying, but you went out there and did it and that’s pretty damn impressive and inspirational. Maybe I’ll get there one day too!
You will! Organise something, promote it as much as you can and it’ll be too late to back out
Aah, the good old “force yourself to” option. I like your thinking!
It works!
It takes guts to do that – good on yer!
Thank you!